Hydro-Seismicity Causes Shakes In North Karnataka

On Friday, Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority Commissioner Manoj Rajan said that they had requested that the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) conduct a thorough investigation into the micro tremors that have been occurring in the Kalaburgi and Vijayapura areas. He further said that according to their preliminary findings, these kind of micro tremors are most common during the post-monsoon season. It's linked to a phenomena known as hydro-seismicity, which occurs after heavy rain.

He also stated that a natural rise in hydraulic head owing to the rise of the water table in re - occurring of groundwater basins increases the tension in the earth within crustal volumes with fracture permeability. This incident causes tiny tremors, which are sometimes accompanied by noises, according to the officer.

According to Rajan, the NGRI is dispatching a team of scientists to these places in the next two days to evaluate and assess the field conditions. From October 1 to October 12, villages surrounding Basavakalyan in Bidar and Chincholi in Kalaburagi saw at least six tremors with magnitudes ranging from 2.5 to 4 on the Richter scale.

Whereas the majority of the terrified villagers spent the night under the stars, expecting a large earthquake, a few others relocated to a safer location until everything returned to normal.